Red-violet
A strong colour found between red and magenta, often called purple in art
Red-violet is a vivid colour that sits partway between red and magenta, leaning closer to magenta. Artists sometimes use it as another name for purple, though the meaning of purple can shift between cultures and colour systems. Red-violet has been used in pigments, crayons, and digital colour lists, and has several lighter and darker variations.
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- Red-violet sits between red and magenta on the colour wheel.
- Artists sometimes use red-violet as another name for purple.
- Crayola introduced a red-violet crayon in 1930.
- The digital code for red-violet is #C71585.
- Red-violet has many related shades, like kobi and violet-red.
What colour is Red-violet?
Red-violet is a bold, saturated colour that falls between red and magenta, but is closer to magenta. It is often grouped with other warm colours, such as orange and gold, and is sometimes described as a form of purple—though what counts as purple can differ widely. The colour stands out for its richness and is used in both pigments and digital displays.
Where does Red-violet come from?
The term 'red-violet' comes from its position between red and violet on the colour wheel, and it has been called by various names in different systems. In American English and some art circles, it is sometimes simply called purple. The colour became more widely recognised with the formalisation of digital colour names in the 1980s, and it has been used in crayons and artist materials since at least the early 20th century.
How Red-violet is defined
Red-violet can be created in pigments by mixing red with a touch of blue and sometimes white, though pigment versions are less bright than the digital display of the same colour. In digital systems, it is defined by specific colour codes, such as the hex value #C71585.
Where Red-violet is used
This colour appears in painting, coloured pencils, crayons, and digital graphics. Crayola introduced a red-violet crayon in 1930, and the colour is also found in colour lists used by designers and artists. Variations of red-violet are used in textile design and printing, and it is a popular choice for bold visual effects.
Purple around the world
What the purple and violet family means from country to country.
In Holy Week, members of religious brotherhoods walk in procession in robes and pointed hoods, many of them purple, the colour of penance. A purple band also marked the flag of the Second Republic.
Sacred and holyPolitics and protestSource: Holy Week in SpainSuffragettes campaigning for women's votes wore purple, white and green: purple for dignity, white for purity and green for hope.
Politics and protestCourageSource: SuffragetteA child born to a reigning Byzantine emperor was called porphyrogennetos, born in the purple. The birth took place in a palace room lined with purple stone.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Born in the purpleIn the elections of 2005, voters dipped a finger in purple ink to prevent double voting. The stained finger, held up for cameras, became a sign of the vote.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Election inkPurple dye from the murasaki plant was costly and hard to make. In the court rank system set up under Prince Shotoku, the highest officials wore purple caps.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Twelve Level Cap and Rank SystemThe Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon made Tyrian purple from sea snails. The dye was so costly that it became the colour of kings and Roman emperors.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Tyrian purpleShades and relatives of Red-violet
There are many shades related to red-violet, including kobi (a lighter tone), pink lavender, puce (a greyer version), pale red-violet, and violet-red (a brighter version). Other similar colours are cerise, blush, smitten, fandango, flirt, popstar, jazzberry jam, wine, Byzantium, and eggplant. Some of these have been used as crayon colours or in designer colour lists.
Colours that go with Red-violet
Harmonies are worked out from the value #C71585. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Red-violet
What colour is red-violet?
Red-violet is a strong, medium-saturated colour found between red and magenta, but closer to magenta. It is often seen as a type of purple.
Where does the name red-violet come from?
The name comes from its place between red and violet on the colour wheel. It is sometimes called purple or red-purple in different colour systems.
How is red-violet made in art materials?
In pigments, red-violet is made by mixing red with a little blue and sometimes white. The result is less bright than the digital version.
Is red-violet the same as purple?
Some artists and colour systems use red-violet and purple for the same colour, but meanings can vary depending on the context and country.
What are some related colours to red-violet?
Related shades include kobi, pink lavender, puce, pale red-violet, violet-red, cerise, blush, smitten, fandango, flirt, popstar, jazzberry jam, wine, Byzantium, and eggplant.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Red-violet", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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